Cleveland: City adds additional AEDs to public buildings

CLEVELAND -- Residents and visitors to Cleveland will have a better chance of surviving a cardiac attack after the city's latest investment.

"It's lifesaving," said Edward Eckart, Commissioner of Cleveland EMS. "The $115,000, the cost of these AEDs is really nothing compared to being able to save a life."

An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is used to send a life-saving shock to anyone whose heart has stopped. The devices are becoming more common place in public areas and businesses.

Cleveland is purchasing 75 new devices to replace some of the city's current AEDs and will eventually bring the city's total number of devices to more than 100.

"There's cases every day where people are able to access these defibrillators and correct a cardiac arrythmia," Eckart said. "There's Moms, Dads, and kids walking around today because they've been saved by these devices."

Earlier this year, WKYC launched "Project AED," which documented the locations of hundreds of the devices across Northeast Ohio and identified areas where AEDs were lacking.